Questions to reflect on
- What does it mean to become an unbaptized publisher?
- Does that already make you one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?
- Can a young child take this step?
- How much does a child understand about what this status means?
- What influence do parents, other children, and congregation members have?
- Why can the announcement in the congregation mean so much?
- What happens if someone is no longer recognized later as an unbaptized publisher?
- If baptism should not happen too early, then when does the personal religious identity leading up to it begin?
Familiar questions
What is an unbaptized publisher?
An unbaptized publisher is someone who has not yet been baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but who is officially allowed to participate in the preaching work with the congregation. That can be an adult Bible student, but also a child growing up among Jehovah’s Witnesses.
It is about more than going along with parents or friends in field service once in a while. The person is recognized as a publisher and from that moment takes part in the congregation’s organized preaching work on their own. Plaked markdown
From interested person to publisher
Someone can attend meetings or study the Bible for a long time without being an unbaptized publisher.
According to the organization’s own guidelines, anyone who wants to take that next step must, among other things, believe what they are learning, want to talk to others about it, live by the religious standards, and want to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves.
Becoming an unbaptized publisher therefore does not just mean:
‘I want to go preaching once.’
It also expresses:
‘I want to identify with this faith and make it known to others.’
First a discussion with two elders
Before someone is recognized as an unbaptized publisher, two elders speak with him or her.
They assess whether the person sufficiently understands what they believe, whether their way of life matches the requirements, and whether they truly want to take part in the preaching work themselves.
In the case of a child, age and understanding are taken into account. Not every subject has to be discussed with a young child in the same way as with an adult.
The aim is that someone does not become a publisher just like that, but is sufficiently ready for it. Plaked markdown
Children can become unbaptized publishers too
There is special JW material for parents and children about the goal of becoming an unbaptized publisher.
No fixed minimum age is mentioned in the public material. The emphasis is more on understanding, conduct, spiritual development, and the child’s own desire.
A child does not yet need to have the same amount of knowledge as an adult baptized Jehovah’s Witness.
That raises an important question:
How do you determine when a child understands enough not only to take part, but also to assume a personal religious position?
For parents, this can be a wonderful moment
For parents who are themselves convinced Jehovah’s Witnesses, this step can bring a lot of joy.
Their child has learned about Jehovah from an early age, attends the meetings, may give answers, goes in the field ministry, and begins to talk about their faith on their own.
When the child then says:
‘I want to become an unbaptized publisher,’
parents may feel this as an important development:
the faith is becoming more and more the child’s own.
That pride and joy can be completely genuine.
For the child, it can feel just as real
The child itself may also truly want this step.
They may believe that Jehovah exists, that Paradise will come, and that people can be helped by the Bible message.
Preaching can then feel like:
‘I know something important, and I want to tell others.’
Becoming an unbaptized publisher can also give the feeling:
‘Now I really get to take part.’
That feeling does not have to be any less sincere because the child grew up in a JW family.
The announcement in the congregation
When someone has for the first time participated as a new unbaptized publisher, a brief announcement about this is made to the congregation according to the organizational arrangement.
Until then, someone may have been mainly the child of a brother and sister or someone receiving Bible study.
Now the congregation hears that he or she has become an unbaptized publisher.
A formally small announcement can therefore carry a lot of social and emotional weight. Plaked markdown
Congratulations and recognition
After such a step, parents, relatives, and congregation members may respond enthusiastically. A child may receive congratulations and, in some families or congregations, cards or other attention.
That is not an official requirement and will not happen the same way everywhere.
For the child, though, it can make a strong impression:
‘They’re proud of me.’ ‘Everyone thinks this is great.’ ‘I’ve achieved something important.’
Such an experience can strengthen a child’s sense of belonging to the congregation.
‘Brother’ or ‘sister’
Within Jehovah’s Witnesses, an unbaptized publisher can also be counted as part of the congregation’s spiritual family and addressed as brother or sister.
For a young child, that can stand out. At first, during a meeting, it may mainly hear its first name. Later it may hear:
‘brother…’ or ‘sister…’
That is only one word, but words can affirm identity:
‘Now I really belong.’
Recognition can provide extra motivation
People — and especially children — are sensitive to recognition.
When a new religious status is accompanied by compliments, attention, and a different way of being addressed, it can provide extra motivation.
That does not have to be deliberate influence. Congregation members may sincerely be happy about the child’s spiritual progress.
At the same time, something normal is happening psychologically:
behaviors and choices that bring appreciation and belonging can become more attractive.
Religious conviction and social affirmation can therefore coexist.
Other children go ahead of you
A child also looks at peers.
An older brother becomes an unbaptized publisher. A friend from the congregation takes the same step. Another child starts commenting more often, goes in the ministry, and is later baptized.
Children do not learn only because adults explain something. They also watch:
‘What do children like me do?’ ‘What steps apparently come with growing up?’ ‘What are adults proud of?’
When several children follow the same path, becoming an unbaptized publisher can start to feel like a very natural next step.
Social influence is not the same as coercion
That distinction is important.
A child does not have to be forced to still be strongly influenced by its environment.
All children are socialized. In a sports family, sports may become important; in a musical family, music; and in a religious family, faith.
A child can therefore sincerely say:
‘I want this.’
while parents, friends, congregation members, and examples around it have helped shape what it wants.
Genuine choice and social influence do not exclude each other.
Encouragement can be experienced differently
Congregation members may encourage a child kindly:
‘You’re doing so well.’
‘Maybe you’ll become an unbaptized publisher soon too.’
‘That would be wonderful.’
For one child, that feels like trust:
‘They think I can do this.’
For another, the same remark may feel like expectation:
‘Apparently I’m supposed to do this soon.’
The adult’s intention therefore does not automatically tell the whole story about how the child experiences the message.
How safe does ‘not yet’ feel?
When it comes to freedom of choice, the reaction to a yes is not the only interesting one.
The reaction to:
‘I don’t want to yet’
also tells us something.
Can a child wait? Is it allowed to have doubts? Can it first do more research? Does the warmth remain the same when it does not take the same spiritual step as other children?
A parent may sincerely hope that their child chooses Jehovah and at the same time try to make it clear:
‘You don’t have to do this for me.’
Precisely because the parent values the faith so highly, that can be a difficult balance.
The choice does not arise in a single conversation
When two elders speak with a child, the desire usually does not begin on that day.
Before that, there are often years of meetings, family worship, field service, Bible stories, prayers, videos, friends from the congregation, and conversations at home.
The child has probably already learned what a spiritual goal is, seen other children take steps, and perhaps received compliments when it commented or eagerly went along in the ministry.
The question is therefore not only:
‘Did the child say yes for itself during the conversation?’
but also:
‘How was that desire formed in the years before?’
Baptism becomes the next goal
In the organizational guidelines, elders are encouraged to compliment a child when it has made sufficient spiritual progress to become an unbaptized publisher.
It is also encouraged to keep baptism in view as the next goal.
From Jehovah’s Witnesses’ perspective, that makes sense: becoming an unbaptized publisher counts as spiritual progress, and baptism is ultimately seen as an important Christian step.
For the child, that creates a direction:
this step is not necessarily the end point, but part of a progression toward baptism.
Becoming an unbaptized publisher is not baptism
That distinction must remain clear.
According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, baptism symbolizes that someone has personally dedicated themselves to Jehovah in prayer and wants to serve him permanently.
Becoming an unbaptized publisher is not that dedication, nor is it some kind of symbolic baptism.
It would therefore be inaccurate to equate the two.
But it is also not just ‘taking part a little’
The step does have real significance.
An unbaptized publisher officially takes part in the preaching work, is recognized as a publisher, is announced to the congregation, and is recorded within the organization as a publisher.
In current study material, this step is also listed among the requirements for someone who later wants to be ready for baptism.
An accurate description is therefore:
a public religious identity step that precedes baptism. Pasted markdown
When does ‘our faith’ become my faith?
A young child may say:
‘We are Jehovah’s Witnesses.’
At first, that is often a family identity:
this is who we are.
Later it may become:
‘I am an unbaptized publisher.’
And later still:
‘I have dedicated myself to Jehovah and been baptized.’
Religious identity can gradually shift from our to my.
The most interesting question is not the exact moment when that happens, but whether the child increasingly understands along the way:
‘Why do I believe this myself?’
Understanding is not the same as being able to fully foresee everything
A child can very well explain:
‘I want to tell people about Jehovah.’
It can answer Bible questions correctly and genuinely believe what it says.
At the same time, the ability to foresee future consequences, recognize social influence, and examine an identity more independently from parents develops gradually.
That does not mean children cannot make meaningful choices.
It does mean that age can affect how broadly a child can grasp the meaning and consequences of a choice.
A child may mainly think:
‘I get to preach now.’
An adult may also see identity, expectations, reputation, future baptism, and the possibility of thinking differently later.
What does a child understand beforehand?
Does a child understand only:
‘I want to preach’
or also:
‘The congregation will now see me as a publisher.’
‘Certain standards will be expected of me.’
‘My religious status may change again later.’
‘That can be announced to the congregation again.’
Not every possible future scenario needs to be discussed in detail with a child.
But the more important a step becomes for someone’s identity, the more relevant the question becomes how much of that meaning they can truly grasp.
What if an unbaptized publisher seriously does wrong?
Unbaptized publishers are not in the same religious position as baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses and therefore cannot be disfellowshipped in the same way.
When an unbaptized publisher becomes involved in behavior that Jehovah’s Witnesses consider serious wrongdoing, two elders may try to help them.
If, according to the religious assessment, they show no repentance and no longer meet the requirements, they may cease to be an unbaptized publisher. Pasted markdown
That change is announced too
In that case, the congregation may be briefly informed that the person is no longer recognized as an unbaptized publisher.
That is something different from disfellowshipping a baptized Jehovah’s Witness.
Still, this change also has a public element.
Earlier, the congregation heard:
‘This person is now an unbaptized publisher.’
Later, it may hear:
‘This person is no longer recognized as such.’
What can that do to a young person?
That varies from person to person.
One person may shrug it off. For another, it can mean a lot.
Especially when the earlier status was linked to pride, compliments, belonging, and spiritual progress, losing it can bring up feelings of guilt, shame, disappointment, or:
‘What will everyone think of me now?’
That does not mean the announcement is intended to shame someone.
Intent and psychological effect are not always the same.
Guilt and shame are not the same
Guilt is more about:
‘I did something wrong.’
Shame can go further:
‘There is something wrong with me.’
Religious correction may be experienced by one person as help to change behavior, while another connects the same situation more strongly to their worth as a person or their place in the group.
For children and young people, it is therefore important to distinguish between judging behavior and judging a person’s worth.
The same community that affirms also notices change
The social side of a close congregation can be very positive: people know you, follow your development, are happy for you, and encourage you.
Precisely because of that, changes can also feel more visible.
In an anonymous environment, hardly anyone notices if you stop a certain activity. In a close-knit community, a change in religious status can carry meaning more quickly.
That is not necessarily good or bad.
It comes with strong social connectedness:
people know one another and notice changes.
Baptism is the bigger step, but identity starts earlier
From a doctrinal standpoint, baptism is the much more significant step. By it, someone, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses, publicly makes clear that he has personally dedicated himself to Jehovah.
But psychologically, religious identity does not begin on the day of baptism.
That can be preceded by years.
Suppose a child for years before baptism is already an approved publisher, tells others about his faith, is seen within the congregation as spiritually growing, is addressed as brother or sister, receives compliments, and is given baptism as the next goal.
Then baptism has not yet taken place, but an important part of religious identity may already have formed.
That is why two questions can exist side by side:
‘Was I old enough to get baptized?’
and:
‘How old was I when I already began to identify personally as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?’
So is it a kind of pre-baptism?
Not in a theological sense.
Becoming an unbaptized publisher is, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses, not a dedication to God and not a substitute for baptism.
It is, however, a step on the religious path toward baptism.
So the most accurate way to put it is:
not the same as being baptized, but not without significance for identity and development either.
A child can be fully convinced
It would be too simplistic to assume that a young child becomes a publisher only to make parents happy.
Some children are deeply convinced, talk about Jehovah on their own, and want nothing more than to preach officially.
Their religious experience deserves to be taken seriously.
But even a strongly convinced child grows up within a social environment. That applies to religious as well as non-religious beliefs.
A child may also mainly want to comply
Other children are strongly focused on approval. They want to do well, make their parents proud, not disappoint the elders, or be as far along as their friends.
For such children, it can be harder to distinguish between:
‘I want this.’
and:
‘I want everyone to be happy with me.’
That is why the question of freedom of choice is not the same for every child.
What if the child thinks differently later?
An important part of personal development is that beliefs can be reexamined later.
A child may later become even more convinced that Jehovah’s Witnesses have the truth. They may also develop doubts or come to a different conclusion.
Free inquiry does not have one correct outcome in advance.
The relevant question is:
‘May the belief I accepted as a child later be examined again by me myself?’
Religious upbringing and autonomy do not have to be opposites
A parent does not have to pass on their faith to a child in a neutral or value-free way. Almost no parent does that.
You are allowed to say what you believe, explain why you find it important, and be happy when your child shares the same conviction.
At the same time, room for autonomy can mean:
‘I hope you choose this, but I also want it to truly become your own choice.’
Those two desires can exist side by side.
How do you recognize freedom of choice?
Perhaps not only the question:
‘Did the child itself ask to become an unbaptized publisher?’
But also:
Can it wait? Can it ask critical questions? Can it say it doesn’t understand something? Can it change its mind? Does love and appreciation remain if it does not move at the same pace as other children? And may research eventually also lead to a conclusion different from what the surrounding environment hopes for?
Two perspectives
An active Jehovah’s Witness may mainly see this as a beautiful, gradual development: a child comes to know Jehovah, starts talking about its faith on its own, becomes an unbaptized publisher, and can later choose baptism when it is ready.
That perspective deserves to be taken seriously.
A former Jehovah’s Witness may later look back and think at the same time:
‘I wanted this myself and was incredibly proud.’
‘I truly loved Jehovah.’
and:
‘Back then I never considered that I could also choose not to follow that path.’
Those memories do not have to exclude one another.
A choice may have been sincere at the time and still later be re-examined.
Questions to think about
What does becoming an unbaptized publisher mean beyond being officially allowed to preach?
How old was I when religion increasingly became my own identity?
What meaning did congratulations and recognition have for me?
Did I see other children as examples of what I was also supposed to achieve?
How did people react when I made spiritual progress?
How would they have reacted if I had said, ‘I don’t want to do this yet’?
Did a ‘not yet’ feel as safe as a ‘yes’?
What consequences of the status could I really see at that age?
Did I know that my status could also change publicly again?
Was my choice based mainly on faith, belonging, appreciation, or a combination of these?
Could I ask questions myself about what I believed?
May a conviction that was sincere in childhood later be re-examined?
Can that examination lead either to staying or to a different conviction?
When did ‘our faith’ really become ‘my faith’ for me?
Summary
An unbaptized publisher has not been baptized yet, but does have an acknowledged religious status within the congregation. The person is officially allowed to take part in preaching and has indicated a desire to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Children can take this step too.
For believing parents and children, that can be a wonderful moment: the child is making spiritual progress and beginning to take responsibility for its faith itself.
At the same time, the step can take on a great deal of social significance. Announcements in the congregation, congratulations, compliments, examples of other children, and the feeling of truly belonging to the spiritual family can strengthen religious identity.
That does not automatically mean the child is being forced. It does mean that choices are never separate from the environment in which they arise.
Becoming an unbaptized publisher is therefore not baptism, but it is also not merely casually going along in the field ministry.
It can best be described as:
a public religious identity step before baptism.
That is why not only this is important:
‘Does the child want this?’
but also:
‘How much of the social and religious meaning of this step can it understand at this age?’
And perhaps above all:
‘If we believe baptism should not happen too early, when do we think a child is old enough to truly understand and choose the religious identity that comes before it?’
Sources and further reading
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Am I Ready?, Happily Ever After! About requirements and preparation for participating in the preaching work.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Become an Unbaptized Publisher, Become Jehovah’s Friend. Material for children about this step.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Force Their Children to Adopt Their Faith? About personal choice of faith.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – What Is Baptism? About the distinction between baptism and earlier steps.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Parents, Are You Helping Your Child Grow Toward Baptism? About children’s spiritual development.
Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will – Publishers of the Good News. About requirements and procedure for unbaptized publishers.
Watchtower Online Library – Teach Your Children to Praise Jehovah. About children and participation in the preaching work.
Watchtower Online Library – Maintain the Peace and Cleanliness of the Congregation. About the position of an unbaptized publisher in cases of serious wrongdoing.
Developmental psychology literature on socialization, autonomy, social influence, and decision-making in children and adolescents. Background on identity and making choices.
Read also
Group identity – How does “who we are” become part of who I am myself?
Internalization – How can beliefs and norms from outside become part of your own inner voice?
Social influence – How do others influence our choices without there necessarily being coercion?
Socialization – How do children learn which beliefs, values, and behaviors are important within their environment?
